Propelling mechanism for flying-machines.



A. R. NORDSTROM. PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION IILBD JUNIM, 1912.

1,06%,162, Patented June 10,1913.

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PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1012.

1,064,162. Patented June 10,1912.

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APPLICATION FILED mum, 1912.

1,064,162. Patented June 10, 1913.

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UNITED STATES UFFTQE.

AXEL R. NORDSTROM, OF WEST LYNN. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTHTO GUSTAF F. HELLSTROM, SR, AND GUSTAF F. HELLSTROM, JR., OF WEST LYNN,MASSACHUSETTS, THREE-SIXT EENTHS T0 MARTIN BOWMAN, OF ROCKLPORT, MAS-SAGHUSETTS, AND ONE-SIXTH TO QARIN E. NORWALL, OF WEST LYNN, MASSA-CHUSETTS.

PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR FLYING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jun e 10, 1913.

Original application filed December 27, 1911, Serial No. 668,046.Divided and this application filed June 4,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Axnr. R. Shamsrnmr, a subject of the King of Sweden,residing at West Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ofll/Iassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inPropelling Mechanism for Flying-Maehines. of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to propelling mechanism for aeroplanes or'somalled heavierthanair flying machines, and the present application isa division of my prior application No. (308,046, filed December 27,lllll.

The object of the present invention is to provide a propelling mechanismembodying a double power system includ ng separate and independentmotors and propellers operated thereby, together with means for throwingthe motors and propellers into and out, of action, the constructionbeing such that in the event of the failure of one of said power systemsthe other will operate to maintain continuity of flight of the machine.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sideelevation of a lying machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional :front elevation through the :arriage and lower supportingsurface. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 4is a sectional plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3, omitting thelower supporting surface. Fig. 5 is a verti cal section on an enlargedscale through one of the transmission shafts and bearing thereon. Fig. 6is a plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the colm'tershaiftand transmission sprockets thereon.

In the present instance, I have shown the application of my invention toa flying machine oit' the-bi ')lane type, in which the superposmlsupporting planes or surfaces '1 and 2 are connected in the usual mannerby struts 3 and stay wires 41-, said machine being provided with headand tail frames 5 and (3 carrying the elevators or horizontal rudders 7and S. The tail frame also earries a vertical or lire tion rudder E) andstabilizing plain o1 surfaces 10, which Serial No: 701,577.

operate alsoto sustain the weight of the tail frame when the machine isin flight.

The machine is mounted upon a carriage or chassis including a car orplatform 11 which supports the aviators seat 12, one or more passengcfisseals 'lil, and a substantially cigar-shaped or lorpedo-shape l body orshield l-l. in rear of which said seats are disposed, said body orshield serving to protcet the aviator and passenger from the force ofthe wind. The seats l2 and 1? are preferably arranged in tandem relationin the central longitudinal line of the machine, in order that theweight of the occupants thereof may be properlv distributed to trim orbalance the machine. The ear or platform 1.] also supports a pair ofmotors .1. and in, which rest upon suitable bezls 17 arranged onopposite sides of the lonzritudhial center of the 'nmrhine so as toproperly position the motors for balmr-ing effect and to dispose thesame in the path of the air for an etl'eclire cooling action.

The propelling mechanism comprises a central propeller To. disposml inthe central longitudinal line of the nnuxhine, and side propellers T7and TH. arranged mguidisiantly on opposite sidesof sni l centralpropeller. The propeller it; is fixed to a counlenshaft 7U journaled ina suitable bearing bracket St). This shaft carries a fixed sprocketwheel Sl connected b a chain 8; with a sprocket wheel 83 on the shaft ofth'v engine l5. wherebr said propeller To is driven. l ald shaft Tilalso carries a series of sprocket wheelshlfiti and 8t) liqed to asleevel revolullly mounts-don said vshaft Tl), antifri ti n roller or ballbearings being refrrably dis posed bet wren said sleeve and shaft to rdure flh'llon. Th sprorln-i wheel tll is con nected by a chain SH \vil ha sprocket wheel H on the shaft of the engine 111. and chains W and i lconnect the spro-ricel wheels H.) and HG with sproclu-l h els J3 and l nth shafts: .H and it: of the propellers YT and TR, which shafts are jurnalrd in suitabl counterpart bearing bra le-t 1 and l. \\'hereb thesaid propellers i: mud in $.l'l' driven from the. engine lll. "it f-ilethe pro pell rs T7 and TH are shown in the prompt instance as arrangedto rotate in direction, it will, of course, b me l n fl that one of thechains 90 and 91 may be crossed to drive the two side propellers inopposite directions. In practice, when the side propellers are geared'to rotate in the same direction, the central propeller 7 6 will begeared to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the side thrust ofthe side propellers will be counteracted by the thrust of the centralpropeller to prevent divergence of the machine from a straight course oftravel.

Clutch devices are provided upon the shafts 15' and 16 of the respectiveengines 15 and 16, whereby the propellers may be thrown into and out ofaction at will, without stopping the engines, and whereby in the eventof the failure of either propelling system the other may be set into ormaintained in operation to adapt the machine'to secure a continuance ofdriving motion of the machine. As these clutch devices are similar inconstruction, a description of one will suflice for both. As shown, theshaft 15 of the motor 15 is journaled in a suitable bearing 98 and hasfixed thereto the friction clutch disk or member 99, which is shown askeyed to the shaft, as indicated at 100 and also fixed to the shaft byscrews 101 passing through an annular fiange102 on said shaft. Looselymounted on the shaft is a complementary adjustable friction disk ormember 103, the side of which adjacent the disk 99 is provided withannular tapered rings or projections 104 to frictionally engage thewalls of similarly shaped grooves 105 formed in the disk 99, so that byadjustin said disk 103 longitudinally on the shaft 1t may be connectedwith the shaft to revolve therewith or disconnected so as to remainstationary while the shaft is in motion. The opposite side of the disk103 is provided with a sleeve 106 formed to receive.

anti-friction roller bearings 107 interposed between the same and theshaft, which roller bearings are held from endwise movement by bearingwashers 108 and 109, the inner bearing washer 108 engaging a shoulder110 at the inner end of the bore of the sleeve. Keyed to the outer endof the sleeve, as at 111, is the sprocket wheel 83 or 89, as the casemay be, which is retained against outward movement by a threaded ring orcollar 112. Said sprocket wheel is disposed between the ring 112 and acollar or retaining member 113 threaded on the shaft and provided withgibs or keys 114 to engage the threads, which gibs orkeys are secured inposition by adjustable screw plugs 115. The

member 113 forms with the adjacent side of the disk 103 an annulargroove receiving a shifting ring 116, between which and the faces of thedisk and collar 113 are interposed the-anti-friction bearings 117. a Thesleeve 106 is provided with annular series of oil ducts or channels 118,and the shifting ring 116 carries a lubricator 119 communicating with anoil feed duct or channel 120 therein, which is adapted to supplylubricant to the ducts 118, by which it is distributed to the variousbearing surfaces. At the outer or free end of the shaft is arranged asuitable stop 121 between which and a sliding disk or head 1 22 fittedon the shaft is arranged a coiled pressurespring 123. The head 1.22under pressure of the spring normally serves to slide the friction disk103 inward and to connect the two disks 103 and 99 to couple thesprocket wheel to the shaft and allows suiiicient outward longitudinalsliding movement of the parts to throw the friction faces of the disksout of engagement with each other, to permit them to turnindependentlyof the sprocket wheel. The ring 116 is engaged by the forked end of ashipper lever 124, the opposite end of which is provided with an eye 125internally threaded to receive the rear threaded end 126 of an adjustingrod 127, the rods of the two clutch devices being journaled at theirforward ends in bearings on the aviators seat 12 and respectivelyprovided with handles 128 and 129 whereby said rods may be turned toshift the respective shipper levers 124 by their threaded engagementtherewith, so as to adjust the shifting rings 1116 on the respectiveengine shafts 157 and 16. One of the rods 127 preferably has a righthand threaded engagement with the eye 125' of the coacting shipper lever124, while the other rod 127 preferably has a left hand threadedengagement with its coacting shipper lever, whereby the two clutches areadapted to be controlled by outward and inward lateral swingingmovements of the handles 128 and i 129, aswill be readily understood. Itwill thus be seen that both motors may be maintained in operation andeither the central or side propellers employed for a driving action, orall three propellers employed to secure maximum power in launching themachine and driving the same to the desired altitude before beginning astraight flight. It will also be seen that this-construction permits themotors to be set into action by the aviator without driving thepropellers, so that the aviator may start the propellers at hisconvenience in beginning a flight. If, during flight, either motor orany part of the propelling system actuated thereby should becomeinoperative, the other propelling system may be set in action tomaintain flight, the advantages of which will be apparent.

I claim '1. In a flying machine, a pair of separate and independentmotors, a central propeller, a pair of side propellers, means fordirectly driving the central propeller from one of said motors, a gearelement on the shaft of the central propeller, means for driving thesame from the other motor, and means for driving the side propellersfrom said gear element.

2. In a flying machine, a pair of separate and independent motors, acentral propeller, a pair of side'propcllers, a multiple sprocket gearon the shaft of the central propeller, means for directly driving saidcentral prepeller from one of said motors, means for driving saidmultiple sprocket gear from the other motor, and means for driving theside propellers from said multiple sprocket gear.

3. In a flying machine, a central ropeller, a pair of side propellers, apair of separate and independent motors, gearing for directly drivingthe rent ral propeller from one of said motors, a gear element looselymounted on the shaft of the central prw peller, gearing for driving:said gear element from the other motor, gears tor ilririnn the saidpropellers from said. gremolement, and means l'or throwing the set; nlgearing for driving; the propellers from the respective motors into andout ol attiin': without stopping sail! miitors.

in testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence ol. two witnesses.

AXEL It. NURDST RUM. Witnesses (h s'rar I .HELLS'IROM, Six, Jenn ll.il'iirrrson.

